


Feels Right

by MacKyleMore



Category: Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Genre: Canon Compliant, Confessions, M/M, don't talk to me or my left-handed Kyle headcanon ever again, maybe? idk. tags still arent my forte(forde-te)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:07:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25039732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MacKyleMore/pseuds/MacKyleMore
Summary: That obligatory Forde teaches Kyle to paint fic that I am somehow only just writing NOW.
Relationships: Forde/Kyle
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	Feels Right

**Author's Note:**

> I still HC Kyle as left-handed and there is nothing anyone can do or say that will ever stop me.
> 
> "I only write when the chronic pain is at its worst and I can't do much of anything else."
> 
> "But you write pretty frequently?"
> 
> :').

At this point in time, Forde's lessons have been ongoing for over a week's time.

At first, it seemed like they wouldn't have any real problems. Kyle's a quick learner; Kyle's an _adept_ learner. Within the span of a few days, he's been able to grasp basic concepts of values and proportions with relative ease.

But Forde expected as much. Kyle, from a performance standpoint; is almost always perfect.

The rest of him? Well, maybe not so much.

Because, as Forde tries to guide him with their current mock-up lessons; Kyle's hand keeps _bumping_ his everytime he moves the brush.

And he should have no problems in speaking up; just admitting that ' _If you need to use_ your _left-hand, then you should do it on_ **my** _left side_." But Forde isn't having the easiest time in bringing attention to this; because he knows anything and everything has the potential to make Kyle defensive.

And, honestly, everytime Kyle's knuckles bump his own; he likes it. It feels familiar and comforting. Even if it jostles his own brushstrokes and causes faults and errors in more places than one.

So why should he speak up just yet? This is so nice; Kyle taking his mentoring seriously instead of picking everything apart like Forde assumed he would. This is so nice; so much nicer than war and disagreements. So much nicer than he ever could have dreamed.

He always thought painting for himself was enough, but this is _better._

Doing what he loves, and doing it next to the _person_ he loves? Forde doesn't want to so easily ruin it by making Kyle feel _offended._

And then, in the middle of Forde wondering why Kyle ever _asked_ for something like this in the first place; Kyle's hand knocks his so much that a streak of paint that isn't supposed to be there is made across an _entire half_ of his canvas.

Okay. Maybe he needs to say something.

"Kyle..."

He turns to him then, a minor amount of confusion stitched into his brow. Kyle seems to have a sort of childish curiosity about this whole painting thing, Forde noted some time ago.

"Am I doing something wrong?" Kyle's clearly, in his head, trying to find somewhere in his work where he may have made a mistake. Always trying to better himself, _always._

Except now, he's not so harsh about it like he was in the past.

It's almost amazing how quickly Kyle seems to have softened up since no longer having to fight on a battlefield.

"Ha... No. Well... not _you,_ specifically. It's just... you can _not_ keep sitting on my right side."

"...What?"

"You keep hitting my hand. Have you yourself not even noticed?"

"I- I have? _Really?"_

He _hasn't_ noticed? Forde guesses he still _does_ have a lot to learn; like how it's a lot easier to paint when someone doesn't keep misaligning your brushstrokes by knocking into you.

"Pfft. Yes. Look." Forde shifts his body so his right arm is no longer assisting in blocking a section of his piece from Kyle's view. He points out a jagged line of color streaked over part of varying shade. _"This_ wasn't supposed to be so _strong._ I did it by accident when you brushed my hand just a minute ago."

"Wh-what? Really? _I_ did that...?"

"I mean, you _helped._ But-"

" _I didn't mean to_ -" Ah, The all-perfectionist Kyle, who, like anyone, _is not perfect_. This Kyle hates having his mistakes pointed out, but has no choice but to admit them and try to fix them. But Forde can tell he still doesn't _like_ that.

"Don't look so worried! I'm not mad! Just please, _sit on my left."_

"Okay, fine..." Kyle takes a moment to stand up and move his seat and easel onto Forde's opposite side. A faint red on his face and mouth in a frown. Clearly upset with himself over something so trivial getting in the way of this. 

_But at least he's not making it into an argument_.

"Actually..." Forde starts as he notes that from this side, Kyle still looks the same. Symmetrical and beautiful in every way. He can't say the same for himself; his hair parts over onto this side now and he has to brush it behind his ear so Kyle can still see him when he's talking. "This is better, isn't it? From here, I can see _your_ piece better, and you can see _mine._ If you were right-handed, at _least_ one of us would always be blocked by the other."

"I-... Uh... Yeah. It is."

"And I can see just how good you are at following my lead."

"..."

"And I can use my left to guide you better, too. Without having to stretch over my other arm so much."

Kyle sighs, his view of Forde's current painting much more visible now. Forde watches him as he assesses the current state of it; _and the line of paint that isn't supposed to be there._

"It's fine." Forde reassures him.

"...It's not. You messed up because of me."

Forde laughs. He didn't mean to do it, but he can't help it. "This isn't for _me,_ Kyle. This is a learning process for _you._ I really don't mind if these aren't perfect. I'm just enjoying myself."

"Oh... right."

"You don't need to take this so seriously. I want _you_ to be enjoying this, too... That brings me to something that's been on my mind... Just why did you ask me to teach you this, in the first place?"

"..." Kyle turns and looks away in thought. He has an answer; Forde can tell. He's just trying to decide whether or not he wants to say what he's thinking.

"...Well?" Forde persists.

"A... few reasons."

"A _few?_ Well you can't tell me that and not tell me what they are!"

"Well. I feel I am beginning to understand you better... Now I get why you act the way you do."

"What are you trying to say?" Forde asks inbetween a smile. "The _'way_ _I do_ '!?"

"Well...I... I am starting to understand the _'why'_ part of why you're such an idiot instead of just the fact that you _are_ one."

Forde snorts; Kyle's never been one for compliments. Kyle's always only ever focused on what could be _improved_ upon. Even so, it seems like he is trying to show _some_ sort of appreciation and respect with his words.

_It's just a bit difficult to find them._

"And that being?"

"You're an idiot because if you _weren't..._ well, then I guess life would be nothing but boring."

"And so you are beginning to understand? _Took you long enough."_

"I am aware..." Kyle mumbles.

"But you still never answered my initial question. If you thought I was an idiot before just because I had nothing _better_ to do, then why would you want to ever even try and understand that?"

"...I am an idiot as well. And the more time I indulge in that, _I can't help but think maybe I'm even worse_."

_"What?!_ Where's this coming from!?"

"I've just been thinking, okay? If I like the time I spend with you so much, if I'm constantly giving into your foolishness; well then I'm probably _worse_ than you. I wanted to understand; not because I wanted you to _stop_ being such an... _idiot._ But because I think I like that the _most_ about you."

Where _is_ this coming from, _really?_

Kyle likes they time they spend together...?

"Okay... but you said there were a few reasons. Any others you'd like to tell me about?"

"...I thought I said it..."

"Hmm?"

"That I... like this. I like... doing this. With... you."

Oh. So _that's_ the reason?

"What was that?" Forde asks again.

And Kyle answers. Again. He really _is_ an idiot under the surface. _Maybe even worse than himself._

"I like this! I like... you. It's... calming This is so... _calming._ I feel more at ease than I ever had in my entire life. _Okay?"_

Forde loves Kyle. Forde's loved Kyle for quite a bit of time, now. Forde has never brought it up. The timing was never appropriate, he knew that. Knew that if he ever told him, _Kyle'd probably just call him ridiculous._

But what if he thought wrong? What if Kyle felt the same way?

_"...Like_ me?"

"I- I-... Yes. I like you and I'm starting to understand you better now and it makes sense now how you can be so careless because it's kind of understandable and I'm starting to respect it more-"

Ugh, Kyle. Why is he being so choose-y with words? Any other time he just says what he thinks.

"So. You _are_ enjoying this?"

"Yes... of course. Otherwise I never would have asked you to teach me."

Forde is beginning to miss the feeling of Kyle's hand brushing his. _He should return back to his other side..._

"You really are something else." Forde lets out.

"Uhm... come again?"

No, Kyle is _definitely_ more of an idiot than he is. 

Forde decides having both their free hands so close to one another and doing nothing, _is pointless_.

Forde reaches out, looking for something to address in Kyle's painting. Not because he sees anything really wrong with it as of now-- but to make a scene out of purposefully elbowing into Kyle.

A shock of _something_ shoots up Kyle's arm; Seemingly starting to become hyper-aware of any time they may ' _accidentally'_ touch from here on out; And he draws it back a few inches instinctively.

"Right here..." Forde stalls for time as he tries to find something he can use as an excuse to do what he just did. "Your uh, _paint..._ is... it could be mixed a bit better. Up here it's... really thin. Down here, it's...it's too thick."

Forde's thankful they haven't been doing this long enough for Kyle to see that right now, _he's just making stuff up._

"It is? You never told me that..."

"Yeah... I... forgot." Pulling his hand back now, Forde makes sure to brush Kyle once again.

And, again, Kyle flinches.

_Why did he tell Kyle to sit on his other side if he was just going to pull this stunt anyway..._

"If you're just going to... to keep _touching_ me _yourself,_ why did you tell me to sit over here?!" Kyle's face is red now. "And if you noticed it before why did it take you so _long_ to bring it up?! If you think you're funny, I'll have you know I meant it when I said I liked learning from you. So please at least try and take this a bit more seriously. Because I for one, am serious about this!"

So now that it has been brought to his attention, he _is_ noticing? Attentive, as always.

"Because I'm not hitting your _dominant_ hand, like you were to me. I'm not bumping you so much that it ruins what you're doing. It's fine."

"It's not _fine!"_

"Why not?"

"...Because... just because you're not ruining my _painting_ doesn't mean..." Kyle loses his sentence as he trails off.

"...What?"

"You're... doesn't mean you're... _Look._ I...you're ruining _something_ _else."_

"...That is?"

"My ability to think."

...What's _that_ supposed to mean?

_"Your ability to think?"_ Forde repeats Kyle's words in question.

"Yes..."

"So... If I were to... do _t_ _his..."_ Forde doesn't just _brush_ Kyle's hand now; Now he puts it overtop his, runs his thumb over the outer side of his wrist. _Keeps it there_.

Forde continues. " _Are you still thinking?"_

"I'm- I- I'm still _thinking..._ But not about what I should be... not about trying to paint."

"Yeah...? What about?"

"...I'm thinking that I like it." Kyle's voice is quiet, and sounds different than his usual pitch as he comes clean about this.

Forde lets out a loud laugh. "Oh gods. How did I spend so long believing you were composed and serious? _You're a mess_!"

"...W- What?!"

"You're a _mess,_ Kyle. You really _are_ worse than me!"

"Am _not!"_

"Oh _yes you are._ Why else would someone holding your hand make you _forget how to think!?"_

_"People_ holding my hand doesn't make me forget how to think!" Kyle spits out his attempt at defending himself.

"But you just _said_ it did!?"

"Yeah, when _you_ are the one doing it!"

"Do I bother you _that_ much? _Even now?"_ Forde asks, caught between laughing and genuine consideration that maybe _something more_ could come from this. Forde still hasn't removed his hand, and Kyle has made no such attempts _either._

"No... it's just _your_ hand that makes me unable to focus."

"...And _why is that?"_

How many times does he have to _ask_ before Kyle just _explains_ himself, already?

"...You are a distraction; Just like how you've always been."

"A distraction, you say? What am I _distracting?_ You used to claim I distracted other members of the army. But never distracted _your_ perfect work ethic. So why would I distract _you_ all of a sudden?"

"..."

"Is it your _feelings_ I am distracting?"

_"Eh-"_ Kyle squeals in alarm _._

"Your feelings. Maybe feelings that you have developed for someone _beyond_ that of just friendship?"

"...T- This is stupid." Kyle stutters. "I don't want to do this anymore. _I'm done--"_

"That's fine. If you take even _this_ too seriously and want to stop, I understand. But please, in the very least; _L_ _et me know if I'm right."_

"... _This is stupid_." Kyle repeats.

"You _asked_ me to do this--" Forde starts...

But is soon interrupted.

_"Yes."_

"...Huh?"

"Yes. You're right. _Okay?_ Now just... _shut up._ Because I don't _really_ wish to _stop."_

Forde doesn't shut up. Instead, Forde pries further. 

_"Ahhh_ ha haaa... _You like me."_

Kyle groans. 

"You _like_ me." Forde maintains a mocking tone.

"...Keep acting like that, and I won't for much longer."

"So you do? You _do_ like me?"

Kyle shakes his head _. "You're ridiculous."_

"And so are you. If you _know_ I'm ridiculous, and you _still_ like me; You are _without_ _a_ _doubt_ even _more_ ridiculous."

"And I'm not _proud_ in admitting that, _so just forget about it."_ His teeth are gritted together; His voice is straining.

...Forde's hand is still holding Kyle's. "That's not something I can so easily forget." He tells him.

_"Why not?"_ Kyle's glaring at him now. Trying so hard to not express how he seems to feel; Although he has already _admitted_ it, so there really is no _reason_ for that.

Kyle accuses. "You seem to forget all other priorities you have that actually _require_ thought." 

_"Ah."_ Forde finally takes his hand away, lightly hitting Kyle up the back side of his head. _"There's_ the Kyle I know."

"...Shut up."

"That's no way to speak to the person you like."

_"Sh- Shut up."_

"Why? I thought you said you understood me better; Understood why it's important to have a little _fun._ So why are you still being difficult?"

"...Because you talk about it like it's _okay!"_

"It _is_ okay." Forde says, matter-of-factly.

"In what way?!"

"No... Tell me, why _isn't_ it okay?"

"...It's _wrong..._ wrong of me to enjoy this so much. Wrong of you to be all right with teaching me when I _like you the way that_ _I_ _do..."_

_"Wrong_ of you to enjoy it? Wow, guess you lied when you said you understood me. You _don't._ If you did, you'd be perfectly fine with enjoying this. And if you understood me you'd be able to understand that _I like you, too."_

"W-What? _Why?!"_ Kyle looks downright _shocked._

_"Why?"_ Forde repeats, laughing. "Is it really _that_ much news to you? I don't think you give me credit where credit is due. Why _shouldn't_ I like you? I think I suit the role perfectly; gods know no one in their right _mind_ would _ever_ have enough patience to deal with how tense you are. Not unless they've been dealing with it for a long, _long_ time."

Kyle blinks, saying nothing. 

"And the both of us know, that _neither one_ of us are in their right minds. So I can say that I like you, Kyle. Because I _can_ deal with all that. I can even go as far as to say that I _love_ you."

Kyle squeezes his eyes shut, turns to look away from Forde; To direct his attention to his painting instead. Or at least _try_ to. Free hand now clenching tightly over his knee, knuckles white and shaking: _Tense._

Forde takes it a second time. Kyle doesn't flinch away. "See?" Forde tells him. _"Someone's_ got to calm you down. Someone's got to show you how to _relax_ once in a while."

Sighing, Kyle opens his eyes back up; looking Forde's way. No longer glaring. He looks like he's about to smile. Happy, calm, _relaxed._

Then, Kyle turns his wrist so his palm is facing upward underneath Forde's. Lacing their fingers together.

" _You're an idiot_." Kyle says, grinning.

"Glad to know you are so fond of me."

**Author's Note:**

> Forde pls stop teasing him so much Avocados are supposed to be green not red >:(
> 
> FordeKyle is the Steamroller and the wrinkles in my brain are the roads and pavements that they flatten out.


End file.
